Dorothy tapped her heels together three times and said the words that put her world back together: There’s no place like home . . . There’s no place like home . . . There’s no place like home!We are a people in love with home. Think about the words and phrases we use: homeroom, homesick, home video, homework, hometown, Home Alone, Home Depot, homegrown, home plate, “Home, Home On The Range,” “ET phone home,” home-cooked meals, homemade apple pie.

There truly is no place like home, especially when our lives are spinning like Dorothy's Kansas farmhouse. That is why the spiritual gift of hospitality is so important. It throws out the welcome mat for tired souls.

In the Apostle Paul’s day there were no Doubletree Hotels, no Marriotts, no Hiltons, no Embassy Suites, not even a Motel 6. The only place that said, “We’ll leave the light on for you,” was the local brothel. Mindful of the challenges this would pose to traveling Christians, Paul writes:

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:13 ESV)

Hospitality comes from the Greek, PHILOXENOS, which itself is made up of two words: XEN (stranger) and PHILEO (brotherly love). The idea is showing love to strangers. In other words, hospitable people give 5-star service to their brothers and sisters in need.

When someone shows you hospitality you may not be in Kansas anymore, but you sure feel like you are. There's no place like home.

FOCAL POINT:Who do you know with the gift of hospitality? Take a moment today to tell them, “thanks.” Ask God to help you give 5-star service to brothers and sisters in need.